California Short Sellers to Pay Tax on Mortgage Debt

Governor Schwarzenegger last week vetoed a bill that would have prevented California homeowners who sold their homes via short sales or received loan modifications in 2009 from being taxed on the forgiven mortgage debt. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, which would have aligned much of the state’s tax code with that of the federal government’s, because it contained an unrelated provision regarding tax refunds for the state’s largest businesses. Although the governor vetoed this particular bill, he expressed his support for banning taxation of forgiven mortgage debt, and immediately called for the legislature to send him a bill to provide tax forgiveness prior to the April 15 tax-filing deadline.